


i can't believe my brother is a cowboy

by lenaoxtons (orphan_account)



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: DON'T JUDGE ME IM SAD, Everyone is multilingual for some reason, Gen, How scandalous, Humor, Implied Relationships, Implied/Referenced Torture, Jesse and pharah are bffs, Just Roll With It, Mercy is the big sister™, Paranoia, Sibling Bonding, Some blood idk, Young pharah, ice cream at 4 am, innapropriate use of google translate, jack and Gabe are RLLY gay, pharah steals a stick, sorta canon divergent
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-09-16
Updated: 2016-09-16
Packaged: 2018-08-15 06:36:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,145
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8046001
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/lenaoxtons
Summary: Fareeha notices strange conversations going around about a recent mission, and she can't help but attempt to investigate.





	1. the intro and such

**Author's Note:**

> I'm gonna cry :'))) anyway I've seen a serious lack of pharah and mccree with a sibling relationship so i wanted to write it because I love hurting myself. Probably not gonna be very long but who knows lmao

Fareeha’s 13th birthday was right around the corner. She tried to pull off the happy act, but it didn't feel right. She had to stay at base with Angela while everyone else was on an important mission--a mission to shut down the Deadlock gang once and for all. They said it would be very dangerous and there was a possibility they wouldn't make it out alive, but Fareeha kept her thoughts in her head where they belonged. 

They were stationed at Watchpoint: Gibraltar, one of their larger bases around the globe aside from the Swiss base. It had bedrooms, locker areas, tons of computers, and of course, a giant rocket. Fareeha and Angela were watching some old movies when the phone rang suddenly; Angela picked it up. 

“This is Angela Ziegler, how may I help you?”

A pause.

“Okay, that's good to hear. Any casualties?” Another pause; she took a short breath of relief. “Excellent. Glad to hear it went well. Oh--what? How old is he? You've got to be joking...Okay, I'll get your room cleaned up real quick. See you later.”

She set the phone down and rubbed her temples, something she did when she was stressed.

“What's wrong?” Fareeha asked curiously. It wasn’t everyday they called them while returning from their missions.

Angela looked up at her, smiling gently. “It's nothing. They completed their mission and are heading back here right now.” She brushed a blonde hair out of her face. “It's getting late. We should head to bed.”

Fareeha headed into her tiny bedroom with Angela and stared at the ceiling until she could fall asleep. There was something wrong, she could feel it. She knew it.

Late into the night, after she'd fallen asleep, Fareeha heard the door open. There was a lot of cussing and yelling coming from what was presumably Gabriel and Jack. She quietly stepped out bed and peered out her open door, trying to listen to what they were saying.

Her mom was heating up some leftovers while Gabe and Jack were arguing about something. The conversation sounded tense and important from the tone they were speaking in, almost like a panicked stage whisper.

“We don’t know that he’s innocent,” Jack proclaimed. They seemed to be talking about...someone she didn’t know. Maybe a hostage they had taken from their mission?

“He’s a kid, Morrison.” Gabe replied, with a hint of sadness and empathy in his tone. “I want him to have another chance at life.”

Fareeha squinted, trying to process the situation, just as her mom turned around and saw her peeking out. 

“طفلي, what are you doing up so late?” She looked concerned and very exhausted. Something Fareeha saw often.

“Sorry, mom. I just...woke up because of the yelling.” Her voice was quiet and child-like.

Ana immediately stared at Gabe and Jack with a scolding look. “You two quit fighting and figure out what’s going on.” Reasonably, Ana was the ‘peacemaker’ of the three, even if she did cause a fair share trouble herself. 

“Go to sleep, Fareeha. We’ll work things out in the morning.” Ana waved at her before turning back to her companions.

Fareeha sighed, walking back to the room she shared with Angela. The small television in the room was playing a vhs quality version of some old movie. Angela seemed to enjoy watching them even though they had much better quality movies right at hand. Fareeha jumped into bed, still wearing her Rocket Dude t-shirt and black jeans. Angela patted her on the head as she fell asleep to the sounds of a cheesy musical.

The sun rose, orange light cracking through the shutters of the window and spreading into the small room. Angela’s TV was still on, the screen a bright shade of blue. Seems like she forgot to turn it off when she drifted off to sleep. Fareeha did her a favor and pressed the power button before heading out into the mess hall. 

Gibraltar was always beautiful in the mornings, the strait glistening in stunning warm colors, illuminating the shore and it's surroundings. Fareeha always had a fascination with nature, ever since she was a small child. Her mother would often take her on long strolls by the Nile, or visits to the great pyramids that watched over them. Fareeha definitely preferred the friendly and familiar look of deserts and sunny skies to the usual lush landscape. 

Gabriel and Jack were sitting at a table across from each other, possibly having a suggestive conversation. They usually did that in the mornings. Fareeha passed them quickly and made herself a plate of scrambled eggs. She never really was the kind of kid who enjoyed sugary foods. She sat down next to Gabe, purposely interrupting his flirt session with Jack. 

“Mornin’.” She said nonchalantly.

Gabe looked at her, rubbing her messy hair. “Morning, sunshine. What'd you do while we were gone?”

Fareeha scooped up a fork full of eggs before speaking. “We didn't really do anything. Mostly just marathoned some old TV shows and stuff.” 

Jack put his hands under his chin. “Sounds more relaxing than what we had to do.”

“I bet it was.” Fareeha said with her mouth full. There was a long moment of silence.

Gabe checked his watch quickly, and did some sort of secret signal to his partner. They both looked somewhat surprised but mostly worried as they ran out the door.

Fareeha started questioningly, finishing off her plate and putting it into the sink. Reinhardt was working in the kitchen and noticed that Fareeha walked in.

“Hello there, child! You look troubled, what it is that bothers you?” His voice was loud and booming, and yet somehow soft and compassionate.

“I know something's up but nobody's dropping any hints. It's like they're keeping something a secret…”

Reinhardt waved it off. “They're probably planning a surprise for you. After all, someone's birthday is coming up…” he grinned at her.

“Yeah. Maybe I am just paranoid.” An obvious lie escaped her mouth. She never doubted her suspicions. “See ya later, alligator.” She said as she, too, left the room. 

“In a while, crocodile!” Reinhardt replied in his loud tone.


	2. greetings, i may or may not be a murderer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> here comes the spoops

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> next chapters will prolly be longer lmao shru g s

It was a day filled with a lot of nothing. Nobody would answer her questions, not even Angela--one of her best and only friends, the person she considered a sister.

Her paranoia continued to grow. She needed to know what was happening or she might as well pull her hair out! That's when she decided to investigate. Fareeha impatiently waited for 6 PM to come; the time she decided to go out.

Everyone had left for dinner at the mess hall, Fareeha making some excuse to stay behind. She waited for a sign of some sort before noticing a noise coming from upstairs. It was faint, but if she listened closely could tell it was there and not just another hallucination. The staircase was dark, so she grabbed a mini pink flashlight and walked slowly up the steps, careful not to cause any disruption. As she approached the top of the stairs, the creaking noise became more apparent. Her brown eyes widened, her mouth gaped open slightly. She flicked off the flashlight ever so silently, eyeing the towering wooden door. Her dark hand reached towards the doorknob, turning it slowly and hesitating to open it. Eventually she had to, but she stood there for what felt like an hour. There’s no going back now. The door creaked open, Fareeha catching a small area of the room with her eye. The smell in the room was strong, like dust and heavy smoke with a hint of...blood maybe? Fareeha continued to open the door, revealing the rest of the room. There was someone in there. Her breathing increased in speed along with her heart rate, sweat dripping off her hands and forehead.

The person was asleep, but most likely knocked unconscious due to the large bruises and gashes covering his face. Crimson streaked his face and arms. His medium brown hair was messy and covered his eyes significantly. His arms were rested behind the white chair he sat in. I knew it, Fareeha thought. They had taken someone hostage. But why? She took a deep breath, mostly in relief, but it came out louder than expected. The boy mumbled something she couldn’t make out. Fareeha needed to get out of there. This was a bad idea, this was a very bad, bad idea.  
His head moved slightly, turning to look at little Fareeha, a young and frightened child standing in the doorway like a fool. She couldn’t move an inch. Her breathing was heavy and fast. 

“¿Quién eres tú? ¿Qué deseas?” The boy spoke. His voice sounded tired and raspy.

Fareeha recognized the question; she picked up some spanish phrases from Gabriel often. 

“Quiero saber su nombre por primera vez.” Her accent wasn’t perfect, but she tried her best.

The boy looked a bit surprised. “Didn’t think you’d catch onto that.”

“O-oh, um…” The words wouldn’t come out of her mouth. Come on, say something, you idiot!

“The name’s Jesse. What’s yours, lil fella?” Well...he seemed trusting enough.

“Fa-fareeha.” She couldn’t help but stutter. “M-my name is Fareeha.”

“Is’at foreign? Never heard a name like that.”

“It’s, um...It’s egyptian.”

Jesse smiled. “Neat. You live ‘round here or what?”

Fareeha opened her mouth to answer, but she heard footsteps coming closer. They were back. She panicked, and sporadically hid behind a cargo box. The steps became louder. She recognized them as Gabe’s heavy boots. She just hoped he wouldn’t notice the obvious hot pink flashlight dropped in front of a wide open door. Dumb luck usually wasn’t in her favor, sadly.

Gabe’s voice was heard faintly, “Someone’s been up here.” He sounded more sinister than usual. He came closer to where Fareeha was hiding, and unfortunately, found her within seconds.

“What are you doing up here, hija?” At least he didn’t sound angry at her.

“I-i heard som-someth-thing and I w-wanted to s-ssee…”

He pressed his index finger and thumb to the bridge of his nose. “It’s fine. Just get outta here, kid. Don’t want you getting in trouble with your mom.”

“Yes sir.” She stood up, brushing off her pants and running out of the way.”


	3. the obligatory car chase scene

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jesse is a gosh darned moron: the chapter

Everything felt cold. It felt wrong. Fareeha couldn’t describe it. She lied awake in bed, staring at the ceiling with her arms on her chest. Trying to take her mind off Jesse, she pretended the spots on the ceiling were creatures, creating a story in her mind. It didn’t help much. Angela walked into the room shortly, holding a mug of tea. 

“Is something wrong?” She sat down next to Fareeha, sipping her tea. It smelled like roses.

Fareeha rolled over, her back facing Angela. “It’s nothing.” She lied.

Angela stirred the tea bag around. “You’ve no need to hide your feelings from me, kliene.”

Fareeha spoke under her breath, “'ana la 'asheur bi'ann alhadith ean hdha al'amr.” She closed her eyes tightly, pulling the blue quilt over her face.

“Very well. But just so you know, you do not need to speak in Arabic if you don’t want me to know something.” Angela turned off the lights and flicked on a small table lamp; she took out a book and read quietly while Fareeha attempted to sleep.

-

It was four in the morning. She still couldn’t sleep. Fareeha knew everyone else was dreaming, dozing off in the pure black of night… The perfect moment to sneak out. She silently hopped out of bed, pulling a gray hoodie over her head and fixing her short black hair up into a ponytail. There was a first aid kit and a prototype of Angela’s caduceus staff on the side table; Fareeha picked them up. Her feet barely made a sound as she made her way upstairs; so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Fareeha focused on what little light was there so she could make her way up without tripping or making any sounds. She creaked open the door slowly, hoping Jesse was asleep. He wasn’t.

The light in the room was dim, but just bright enough that Fareeha could see Jesse trying to open the ventilation system on the ceiling by standing on his chair. He hadn’t seemed to have noticed Fareeha walking in.

“That only works in movies, y’know.” Her tone was sarcastic but sincere.

He nearly fell off the chair in shock. Jesse turned to face her, a look of mild confusion on his face. “Why’re ya up so early?”

“I could say the same to you.” Fareeha looked down at the supplies she brought. “Anyway, I figured you needed some patching up so I brought you these.”

Jesse stepped off the chair and walked over to her, picking up the caduceus staff. “What’s this supposed to be?”  
“It’s like...a stick that heals you. I stole it from my roommate.” Her face was cold and serious.

Jesse stared at her for almost a solid minute (or what felt like one) until Fareeha spoke up.

“Soooo...do you want it or not?” 

“Uh...yeah.”

Fareeha set down her bag and held the staff with both hands. There were two triggers on the furthermost end--one labeled with blue and one with yellow. The pressed her finger on the yellow one, assuming it was the one that healed. The beam targeted Jesse, hopefully healing as it was supposed to.

“I don’t think it’s workin’.” 

Fareeha let go of the trigger, examining it closer. She dropped it on the ground without thinking. After all, it was just a prototype. She didn’t expect it to work.

“Hey, what are you doing up there anyway?” She asked, almost in an angry tone.

Jesse looked away, purposely avoiding eye contact. “Nuthin’. Why’re you pryin’ for information?” He gave Fareeha a suspicious look.

“Well, it seems an awful lot like you're trying to climb through that hatch, and I know a criminal when I see one.” She crossed her arms and made eye contact with the boy, giving him her famous ice cold stare

He sighed. “Look, if I tell you where I'm headin’, will ya promise not to tell anyone?”

She raised an eyebrow. “Okay. Tell me then.”

Jesse closed his eyes, leaving the two of them silence for a bit, before darting past Fareeha and running downstairs. Her face was filled with shock.

“HEY! YOU CAN'T DO THAT!” She yelled angrily, chasing after him. 

Jesse ran out the door, grabbing some random keys out of a coat pocket (one that presumably belonged to Jack) and jumped into a white pickup truck. Fareeha was not far behind, grabbing onto the back of the trunk as he drove away. Music blasted through the speakers as Jesse rapidly steered around the road. Upon exiting the base’s boundaries, Fareeha managed to climb into the back of the truck. Her hair was blowing in the fall wind; she was glad she pulled it back earlier.

The car zoomed far beyond the speed limit, and Fareeha could hear police sirens whirring in the distance. She noticed one of the tools that were stored in the back of the car: a crowbar. She picked it up and smashed the back window, jumping into the passengers seat. Jesse screamed before slamming on the brakes and they drifted off the street into an alleyway. He jumped out, Fareeha still hot on his tail. To her surprise though, he didn't run far. They stopped in a small store, Jesse rushing to hide in a bathroom stall. Fareeha didn't hesitate to go in as well, seeing as there wasn't anybody around to see them.

“End of the line!” She shouted, Jesse quickly clasping a hand over her mouth.

“Be quiet! They're gonna hear us!” He let go shortly.

She lowered her voice to a whisper. “What do you think you're doing?!”

“Listen, kid, I can't be out here! I dunno what your boss wants me to do but-”

“My boss? Who are you talking about?” She looked as him angrily.

“Oh, y’know! Big and scary, yells at people on Spanish…”

“Gabriel? He's not my boss.”

“Well, whatever he is. I just--I just need ya to keep quiet. Look, I'll getcha some ice cream or somethin’ if ya don't tell anyone, OK, partner?”

Fareeha perked up upon hearing the word “ice cream.” She couldn't pass off a deal like that!

She sighed, reaching out to shake Jesse’s hand.”It's a deal. But only if it's chocolate.”

Jesse smiled, shaking her hand in agreement. The two walked out of the stall, entering the main parlor of the shop they had run into. Conviently, it was an ice cream and milkshake bar. The cashier was a Japanese girl with round glasses and short, dirty blonde hair. She was smoking a cigarette as she stared at a newspaper on the counter. 

Fareeha was just tall enough to see over the top of the counter, peeking at the menu on display. The cashier (her nameplate said “Ralphy”) gave them a confused look, before rubbing her baggy eyes. It must've been weird to see a beat up teen-ager with a bandana and a little girl with a hoodie that said “No nerds allowed” at 4 in the morning. Fareeha popped a quarter in the tip jar to apologize for the girl's sad life.

They ordered quickly, Jesse got a peanut butter and chocolate milkshake and Fareeha ordered a large chocolate sugar cone. Surprisingly, Jesse actually had money with him. Fareeha assumed he stole it from somewhere, though.

They walked outside, sitting on the curb under the bright moonlight. The wind was subtle, making Fareeha's bangs brush lightly against her forehead.

“Sure is a nice night out, huh?” Jesse attempted to start a conversation.

“Mhmm.” Fareeha only cared about her ice cream.

“So much for small talk.” He mumbled, sipping from the straw on his cup.

A few minutes passed where they sat in silence, until the saw the police car pull over next to them. In the car was none other than Ana Amari herself. Fareeha slapped herself on the forehead in shame.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -Fareeha is saying "I don't want to talk about it" to Angela
> 
> -The song playing on the radio is Fifteen minutes by Mike Krol


	4. jesse's deathwish: the chapter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> BET U DIDN'T EXPECT ANGST
> 
> / not as long as I wanted it to be but. Y know w/e

Angela’s phone buzzed with notifications, just as she sat down to enjoy a quiet evening by herself, sipping herbal tea. She preferred to stick to a daily routine; today was not one of those days, as it turns out. 

CHAT GROUP; “heroes occasionally die” (Reinhardt, Angela, Ana, Jack, Gabriel, Torbjorn.)

ANA: im gonna murder someone rn i swear

JACK: plsase don thu rt mne

ANA: not you i meant thAT KID

ANGELA: What happened? :-O

REINHARDT: thats not even a REAL EMOJI, ANGELA

ANGELA: I apologize. :-/

REINHARDT: AND YET AGAIN!!!!

GABRIEL: What did I miss this time

JACK: fareeha got kidnapped we think

ANA: we KNOW she did

ANGELA: Why was I not informed sooner?!

GABRIEL: I highly doubt that’s what happened.

JACK: @gabe ur dumb kid broke my truck

GABRIEL: That truck was basically worthless anyway lmao

ANA: we dont have time 2 fight (well I DO but you guys dont)

ANGELA: Don’t you think Fareeha should have a say in this?

GABRIEL: That seems logical, but I know Ana isn’t gonna let her

JACK: i liked that truck :’(

ANA: shut up and let the adults do the talking

REINHARDT: in that case, just us?

GABRIEL: We’re also legal adults, you know

ANA: yes but we’re way older

JACK: just because you were born sooner doesn’t mean you get more privileges than us

ANGELA: Are we going to talk about what happened or not?

ANA: yea sorry. Got out of hand

ANGELA invited FAREEHA to join the group.  
ANA: anGIE IM DISOQWNBING YOU

FAREEHA: mom please stop

ANGELA: I just want to let her explain!

FAREEHA: this is dumb cant we just talk like normal people

ANA: NO

GABRIEL: Here, I’ll handle it. I’m sure there’s some sort of reason behind this.

FAREEHA: thx dad #1

JACK: does that mean im dad #2?? Why cant i be dad #1??? :’(((

ANA: jack stop whining

JACK: o k

\------

Angela clicked off her phone. Sometimes, their discussions simply aggravated her. She stayed in her room alone for a while, letting the argument go on outside her room for a bit before she came to bring peace. 

It wasn't as chaotic as Angela thought it would be. Jesse (was that his name? She couldn't remember) and Fareeha sat next to each other at the table, Ana and Gabriel on the opposite side. Jack was leaning on a counter, listening to the discussion. None of them looked very well, unfortunately. Angela seemed to be the most awake person there, and definitely had the least amount of injuries. Each of them gave her a tired wave when they noticed her walk in the room. Her face was both concerned and confused.

“What’re you doin' up so late, Angie?” Gabriel asked in an almost monotone voice. 

“I could ask the same to all of you. What happened?” The question made everyone's eyes dart away in guilt. 

Ana was the only one to speak up. “Nothing you need to worry about. Take Fareeha to bed, will you?” 

She gazed mindlessly into her mug, attempting to avoid eye contact. “Alright.” She said, finally. “Fareeha, let's get to sleep.” Angela gestured with her hand, and Fareeha followed. 

She seemed more depressed than usual, her eyes were red from crying and her face lacked emotion. Angela grew more concerned, putting her hand on Fareeha’s shoulder.

“What is wrong, mien liebling?”

“I’m tired.” That was all that came out of her mouth that day, and it was the last thing Angela heard that night. I’m tired, I'm tired, I'm tired.

She was tired too. 

-

Fareeha’s dreams haunted her all night. She wanted to fall asleep more than anything; her eyes were burning and her muscles couldn’t bear to move. But that same dream kept coming back, over and over and over....

She tapped Angela's shoulder. “Sis? Angie? You awake?” No response.

She was tempted to get out of bed, tempted so badly, but doing so had messed up her sleep schedule after doing it for the past two nights. Still, though… At times, it felt like she couldn't talk to Angela, or her mom. And after that whole argument that went on last night, Jesse seemed more trustworthy than she previously thought. Sure, he was technically a criminal, and reckless, and pretty mean sometimes (although not particularly to Fareeha, she'd seen how he acted around everyone else.), he was kinda nice to be around. She never thought she'd consider it, but Jesse was almost like a brother to her.

She got up again, and boy, was she determined. Following the same path as always, tip-toeing upstairs to find- nobody. That's a shocker, Fareeha thought sarcastically.

“What’re ya doin’ up so late?” Fareeha nearly jumped out of her skin, surprised by the voice that came behind her. She turned, relieved to see that it was the guy she was looking for, except with cleaner clothes and more bandages on his face.

“Oh, hey. I had a bad dream, ‘s nothing.”

“No, it's somethin'. You look real shaken up.” He crossed his arms, giving her a questioning look.

“I don't wanna talk about it in the middle of a hallway.” Jesse closed his eyes for a bit, sighing.

“Right.”

The two of them headed out, sitting out by the rocky shore. Fareeha barely noticed the mug Jesse was holding, was it Angela's?

“What's in that?” She asked.

“Oh, this?” He looked at her before taking a sip. “I have no idea. Tastes good, though.”

Presumably, it was one of Angela's many herbal teas. They usually had that effect on people.

“So, you gonna tell me ‘bout that bad dream of yours?”

Fareeha’s eyes widened; she took a deep breath. “Well… it’s kinda complicated. Every time I go to bed, it starts out the same. I'm alone in the dark, there are dead bodies everywhere around me-- and every time there's someone new. I never get to see their faces, but I just… can tell who it is, y’know?”

“That's pretty freaky. Who’re the folks?” Jesse looked extremely concerned.

“I know my mom’s there, she was always the first one I saw. Jack was second, Gabriel was third, Angela was fourth, and I'm positive the person that appeared tonight was you. Except he only had one arm, so I'm not sure…”

Jesse nearly spit out his tea at her remark, eyes growing wide with concern as he turned to face her. He was shaking subtly, though it was hard to notice. Fareeha gave him a confused look.

“Uh, that dream sounds an awful lot like a prophecy or somethin'. Who else knows about this?”

She looked down at the floor. “Just you ‘n me.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry it took so long...lmao


End file.
